Dear Church Family,

It’s my favorite season of the year - Fall! The weather is cooling, the leaves are changing, it’s football season, outdoor fire pits are in use, everything about it.

Well, almost everything.

They say every rose has its thorns. And every other Fall, those thorns show up in a big way. I’m talking about election season. Now don’t get me wrong – the fact that we live in a country where we can decide who the decision-makers will be is beyond a blessing! And we shouldn’t take that lightly at all. But the thorn is all that surrounds the blessing of voting: the political ads, the attacks, the arguments, the division in families and churches and communities. It’s more than thorns – it’s swords!

Unfortunately, we allow the talking heads to create cults of personality, where we become more loyal to a politician or a political party or even a political process than we are to a Person who cannot lie and who really did lay down His life out of love and service to us. It’s so backwards!

We as believers would do well to remember where our ultimate loyalties lie. And that means that we have to be able to have civil discussions with people who don’t vote like we do. That means we have to maintain respect for those across the aisle, recognizing that they are created in the image of God just like we are. We

must love the ones who see the issues differently than we do, knowing that Christ died for them just like He did for us. We can’t yell, block, unfriend, belittle, or gossip about someone else just because they have a D or an R beside their voter registration. Nope, that’s not how this works. Not when you call Him Lord. He takes precedence over your ideologies or political parties. His commands and the reflection of His character take center stage. Because the Christian life is not a democracy; it’s a theocracy.

But I also want to say a word to those who will never read this article. Those who are in elected positions have a great calling. And it’s full of pitfalls! But I would charge you and warn you at the same time that you must govern circumspectly, remembering that you are in the position you are in only because God willed it. And you will answer to Him for how you govern, how you protect the citizenry, and how you lead. Heed the words of the great King David:

Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2:10-12 (NIV)

See you Sunday!
Pastor Lane

Dear Church Family,

First Kings 22 tells the story of the beginning of the end of evil King Ahab’s life and reign. He’s preparing to go to war with Aram for the third time, but this time he gets some unexpected help. King Jehoshaphat of the southern kingdom of Judah unwisely (2 Chronicles 19:2) offers to join forces with Ahab and Israel to help secure victory. Though Jehoshaphat’s involvement with Ahab was ill-advised, at least he knew better than to go into battle without first securing the Lord’s favor (see I Samuel 23:1-4; II Samuel 2:1). So here’s how the exchange between the two kings goes as they begin the search for God’s blessing.

5 Jehoshaphat also said to Ahab, “But first we should ask if this is the Lord’s will.”

6 Ahab called about four hundred prophets together and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?” They answered, “Go, because the Lord will hand them over to you.”

7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s ask him what we should do.”

8 Then King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one other prophet. We could ask the Lord through him, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me, but something bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

As the story goes, sure enough as Ahab predicted, Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, told them they should not go into battle. He warned them that if they did, Ahab would die and, despite having joined forces, the Israel/Judah coalition would be defeated. Because they didn’t like the answer, they ignored it and went into battle anyway. And guess what: Micaiah was right. Aram won the battle decisively. Further, Ahab’s reign and life came to shameful end.

While there’s a myriad of lessons to be learned here, let me point out just a few that I pray will help you in some way in the near future:

• There are many voices out there that claim to be prophetic. Especially with the internet literally at your fingertips, you’ll run into numerous opinions. They will often be certified and respected. They will be loud. They will be convincing. And most of all, they will speak for the majority. None of that in any way means that they are right.
• There will always be someone who will tell you what you want to hear. Our inclination is to keep scrolling for opinions until we find one that suits us – you know, that agrees with us. The problem with this comes when it solidifies the wrong beliefs, actions, direction, or attitude that God is trying to save us from. Remember Paul’s warning to Timothy about this exact thing (II Timothy 4:3-4).
• There will be times when you will have to choose between what is right and what is popular. Ahab HATED Micaiah. Why? Because he kept doing the wrong thing? No, exactly the opposite. Because Micaiah insisted on doing and saying what was right.
• Popular or not, God’s Word will always be proven right. You may be tempted to go in a direction that seems successful or wise or right or normal or the list goes on. But my friends, if it goes against God’s Word, the consequences will be tragic. God and His Word has never been proven wrong. Don’t be foolish enough to think that you’ll do so now.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Lane